Kier Construction (East Midlands) has been awarded a £20m contract to build an iconic facility on the University of Bedfordshire's Luton campus.

The new Postgraduate and Continuing Professional Development Centre will be a one-stop shop for postgraduate learning, equipping students with the essential employability skills they need for the marketplace.

Scheduled to open for students in February 2013, the five-storey building will provide 4,254sq m of space, including two Harvard-style lecture theatres, a café, quiet study areas and a student lounge, and will contain state-of-the art IT and audiovisual equipment.

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Designed to be environmentally friendly, the project team is aiming towards a BREEAM rating of Excellent and the building will also have minimal carbon emissions.

University of Bedfordshire deputy vice chancellor (external relations), Professor Ashraf Jawaid, who is leading the project, commented: "This will be one of the most advanced centres of its kind in the country. It will be open from 8am until 10pm providing study opportunities for full-time graduates and continuing professional development training on a part-time basis for businesses in the locality. We will be working collaboratively with businesses to develop training programmes for their people."

(CD)